Indiana State University Newsroom

Homecoming week begins

October 10, 2011

Indiana State University's 2011 Homecoming will celebrate the university's past, present and future while honoring a coach who took the men's basketball team back to the NCAA tournament after a 10-year absence.

ISU students, faculty, staff and alumni are encouraged to wear blue and white on Friday, Oct. 14 and Saturday, Oct. 15 to support the Sycamores in "Paint the Town Blue."

Homecoming weekend will kick off with the 48th annual Sycamore Tricycle Derby beginning at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct 14. The teams, who will compete in two separate races, reflect campus life - sororities, fraternities, residence halls and student organizations.

The ISU Alumni Association will hold the Second Annual Alumni Trike Race, following the men's and women's races. Teams will consist of two to six members for women and two to 10 members for men, with each member riding at least one lap. The men will complete 10 total laps as a team and women's teams will complete six laps.

Activities ramp up on Saturday, Oct. 15, beginning with the 95th annual Blue and White Parade at 9 a.m.

Greg Lansing will serve as the parade's grand marshal. In his first year as the men's basketball coach, Lansing put together a winning season, capped off by upsetting a perennial conference powerhouse to win the Missouri Valley Championship and punching a ticket to the NCAA tournament, taking ISU back to the Big Dance after 10 years. While ISU didn't get past the first round, the team won when it came to instilling spirit and pride to alumni across the nation and worldwide.

Lansing is a familiar face on the Sycamore sideline, serving eight years at ISU as an assistant as well as seven years as an assistant for Steve Alford at Iowa. He's spent more than 20 years in coaching, beginning at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa.

The parade will begin at Ninth and Cherry streets, then travel along Wabash Avenue to Fifth Street and finish up on campus.

Following the parade, the festivities continue at Memorial Stadium with Tent City, featuring live entertainment. Homecoming wouldn't be complete without football. Indiana State will host Western Illinois beginning at 3:05 p.m.

Top 40 music act Mike Posner and the Brain Trust will perform on the stage of Hulman Center beginning at 9 p.m. in conjunction with ISU Homecoming.

Posner released his debut album, 31 Minutes to Takeoff, in 2010. The album, on J Records, includes the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 single "Cooler Than Me", his second single, "Please Don't Go", as well as his third single, "Bow Chicka Wow Wow" featuring Lil Wayne. In February 2011, Posner released a radio mix of "Bow Chicka Wow Wow" which included a new verse from Lil Wayne. His next album, Sky High, is scheduled for release in 2012.

In addition to Lil Wayne, he has collaborated with artists such as Bruno Mars, Wale, Big Sean, Bun B, We The Kings, Saigon, One Be Lo, Eric Holljes, and 3OH!3. He has also covered many popular songs, including Beyoncé's "Halo", Adele's "Rolling in the Deep", Coldplay's "The Scientist" and Kanye West's "Heartless."

Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. with the concert scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Posner's opening act will be Karmin, a pop music duo consisting of Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan, best known for their cover of Chris Brown's "Look At Me Now". Their original song "Take It Away" was used in promos for the 2011 NBA Finals.

Their first album, "Inside Out," was released in May 2010. Aside from their appearance on Ellen, the group has nearly 100 million views on YouTube. On June 2, 2011, the group signed with Epic Records. Karmin is currently working on a studio album, scheduled for a 2012 release.

Tickets for the Homecoming concert, presented by Spotlight Entertainment and Indiana State, are $8 (excluding the day of the show) for students presenting a valid student ID.

Tickets for the general public will be on sale for $12. Tickets will be available at ISU Hulman Center or online at www.ticketmaster.com . Tickets may be charged by phone by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Story Highlights

Homecoming weekend will kick off with the 48th annual Sycamore Tricycle Derby beginning at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct 14.Activities ramp up on Saturday, Oct. 15, beginning with the 95th annual Blue and White Parade at 9 a.m, Tent City and football game.